Walking On Air
by sullenS
Summary: Lemmy had dreamed of flying through the air, but his fear of falling had kept him from pursuing it. But with his family near and dear, he may be able to gain his wings. [Drabble]


**Author's Note:** This is a drabble I wrote on a whim earlier today. I didn't bother much with editing, since I wanted to get the idea out of the way. Either way, I hope you enjoy this silly little thing!

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><p>As long as Lemmy could remember, he always wanted to fly. Staring up at the sky, he could only imagine how it would be like to soar up high, to stare down at the world below. But then he would fall and come crashing down...<p>

"Lemmy, Lemmy!" His brother, Iggy, ran over to pick him up.

Trembling, the small Koopa spoke. "What happened?"

"You lost your balance again." Iggy set him on top of the purple ball, which wobbled as Lemmy's feet tried to gain footing. "It'll take some getting used to, so just keep calm and look straight ahead, okay?"

"B-but Iggy, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, Lem. I'll hold your hand. When you're ready, say when." He took a step, and Lemmy followed, rolling the ball as he moved. They did it again, and again, and again. "Great! You feeling better now?" Lemmy nods. "You sure? Okay, then." He lets go, allowing the Koopa to move freely.

Lemmy walks atop of his ball, not once looking down. He stops every once in a while to regain his balance. This new perspective, even from just a couple of feet above ground, sends a chill down his spine. He started thinking about all the times he fell, in reality and in his nightmares. As much as he wanted to fly, he knew that would never happen. Not because he could not, but because he was too scared to; even standing atop of a stepladder proved too much for him. Then Iggy swooped in and proved otherwise.

One day, while Lemmy was floundering about, he heard his brother's voice. "Hey! Look up!" He did, and saw the most amazing thing in his life. On the ceiling, Iggy stood, waving at him from upside-down. "You think this is cool, look what I can do." He then proceeded to walk around, then do cartwheels, and run around in circles. Not once did he fall down.

"How did you do that," Lemmy shouted in question. "That's impossible!"

"Nothing's impossible if you put your mind to it!" Iggy hops down to the ground and pats his brother on the head. "If you really want something, you should go for it. You always do everything one-hundred percent—that's what I admire about you, big brother!" He flashes a toothy grin in reassurance.

"I dunno about walking about ceilings, but..." His gaze caught on a purple ball with yellow stars. "I can try the next-best thing."

It took months of practice to perfect, but eventually, Lemmy was able to move about flawlessly while standing on top of the ball. Once he mastered that, he moved onto other things: juggling, leaping through hoops, trapeze. Every feat he attempted over the years was bigger than the last, and he became known for his daredevilry. It wasn't the sort of reputation he intended, but it satisfied him somehow.

One day, he was playing guinea pig to Iggy's latest experiment: a motorbike modded for flight. They were borrowing a ramp normally used by Roy and Wendy to practice rollerblading, and had a net set up in case the experiment didn't work. There was a lot of preparation involved, but he insisted it was for his own good.

Lemmy revved up the engine, then pushed the pedal. As he accelerated, he could feel the wind in his face. A smile creeped up his face: he was finally going to fly. Then he pressed his hand on the trigger. Large, angelic wings sprouted out from both sides of the vehicle, lifting him into the skies. When he first heard of the modifications made, he expected little more than a hover or glide, nothing like this. The flapping of the wings made for unstable mobility, but he managed to regain control just in time to land safely.

"Wow, that was awesome!" A small Koopa with cyan-colored hair ran up to Lemmy. This Koopa, he recalled, was Larry, still a hatchling. An even stranger occurrence was Ludwig's presence; he normally showed little interest in the two siblings' antics. "See that, Wiggy? Lemmy can fly! Lemmy's the best, just like you!"

"The best, huh?" Ludwig says, his cold gaze shifting to each brother, landing on Iggy. "Say, about that contraption there... I'm impressed, for once. Perhaps you and I could cooperate on something in the future."

Iggy was awestruck, barely able to string a sentence together. "You and me? Together?"

"Indeed. With my genius and your creativity, we can create something truly majestic."

As those two continued their conversation elsewhere, Lemmy was left to tend to Larry alone. The tiny Koopa's blue eyes glimmered as he spoke. "Lemmy, can I be cool like you someday? I wanna be cool, too!"

Lemmy chuckled and responded, "Of course! Anything's possible if you put your mind to it." He stepped off the bike. "C'mon, lemme show ya something."

Inside the castle, he lead Larry into the playroom, where there were ample amounts of toys. Among these was his old ball, much smaller than he remembered it. With his assistance, the hatchling managed to climb his way to the top of the ball. "Great. Now, try to stand on your own two feet."

Larry latched on tight, trembling. "But I can't."

"Of course you can! I'll help you out." He held out his hand, which the younger Koopa grabbed, and helped him to his feet the best his own short body could.

"I did it! I did it, yay!" Larry hopped on the ball, almost slipping off in the process. "So what's next, big brother?"

"Just hold on tight and take one step at a time." Through the same process his own younger brother used on him, Lemmy taught his new little brother how to gain his footing. It could take a few years, but with practice, he could, in time, walk on air.


End file.
